Love Like This Life

I'm slacking, I know.  Don't hate.  I don't like to blog anymore unless I have pictures to play with.  I had a fabulous weekend but I didn't take any pictures, so as far as you know, it didn't really exsist.  But trust me.  It was grand.  Laughs.  Food.  Softball. Laughter. A church picnic.  All the good things in life.

Monday was super cool because I got to go to the White House - where I wish I worked more often.  Only in my dreams. 

I was there for a Medal of Honor ceremony and it was quite emotional, actually.  It was an honor to be in the room as the President handed the higest military award to a soldier's parents.  The soldier was PFC Ross McGinnis.  I remember when he was killed because he's from outside of Pittsburgh, and I was working there when it happened in December of 2006.  Ross was 19.  He was riding in a Humvee when a grenade was thrown in it.  He warned his buddies - 4 other guys in the Humvee, then jumped on top of the grenade, absorbing the blast.  He was killed instantly and those 4 other guys are alive because of his sacrifice.

Amazing.  Humbling.

I held it together during the ceremony, but afterwards, listening to his comrades telling the story, and talking to his parents - it was almost too much.  I am realizing already now that I am officially part of a "military family," and stories - realities - like this hit a little closer to home.  Thank you, Ross McGinnis.  Thank you, McGinnis family.

In other news.... let me just say it's a good thing this blog is not a newscast because THIS would be a super difficult transition for any anchor I know...

Fun things about being at the White House on Monday.

1.  I got to see my new friend Becky. Yay! She has an incredibly exciting life and if you're anything like me, you'll love her stories!

2.  I kind of lost a bet with our chief photographer, David.  But it ended up being pretty cool!  Ever wonder what is under that infamous White House podum in the press room?

And you thought hooking up your DVD player was an adventure in electronics, eh?  Miles and miles of cable and fiber and wires and stacks and stacks of computers, etc. fill the space where the pool FDR used once was.  You can read more about the history here.

Now people sign their names on what was once the walls of the pool, much like hoodlums did in the bathrooms in middle school.  It was fun reading the signatures and the dates and adding mine to the list! Oh yeah, baby!

I didn't know you could do this, or it would have already been on my list of things to do before I die.  Perhaps I will put it on the list, only to scratch it off. (Side note: when I went to work Monday "morning" I did not plan on going to the White House - or I would have put on make-up - oh well)